Know Your Place

by Faiza Shaheen

The chance of Cameron and Johnson going to Oxford and becoming MPs was one in 10,000, whereas it was close to one in 10 million for me - 10 times more unlikely than getting struck by lightning. Why should anyone have to work 1,000 times harder to do the same thing as anyone else? And why would we set society up to work this way? Dr Faiza Shaheen is a self-confessed stats geek and social mobility success from a working class background, she got into Oxford and is now a leading statistician, ceo of CLASS thinktank, and a visiting professor at NYU. But when her mother died after her benefits were cut by austerity measures, she decided to embark on a career in politics. When she lost in the 2019 election to incumbent Iain Duncan Smith, Shaheen decided to reframe her story, and set her own narrative against the statistics she researches. The result is Know Your how society sets us up to fail - part memoir, part polemic, this is a personal and statistical look at how society is built, the people it leaves behind, and what we can do about it. For readers of Invisible Women and Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race, this is a compelling and insightful read which will change the way we think about opportunity in Britain.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Sociology, Economics

Audiobook

Published June 8, 2023

Reviews

[Fiz|فيز (Substack link in bio) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explosive and eye-opening. This is a book that challenges the term social mobility and how it is a myth constructed by the elite. It is a look at how the elite are maintaining the status quo by structuring society and the economy by locking society into a hierarchy that make the rich richer. It is also a powerful and empowering read of how we can fight, educate ourselves and use our voice to to call for much needed change. This book is about not staying in your place, Faiza's own story is inspiring and motivational and she suggests how we can find hope and change is an elitist society.
This is easily one of my favourite non-fiction books of the year. I literally want to buy a copy for everyone to read because it is *that* good. The statistics, analysis angered me, her family experience (especially her stories of Pakistan) moved and left me speechless and after finishing this makes me want to organise mass protests on different topics/issues she raises in the book. Some of these topics include, tax, health, housing, education, inequality, racism, class, elitism and lack of diversity/rep amongst so much other things. I am going to be talking/thinking/shouting/screaming about this book to everyone because it is such an important and timely book that everyone needs to read it. I can't do it justice with this review.

Quotes/

'The real thing about trying to defy the odds is that most of the time, you lose.'

'We can't keep accepting a game stacked against most of us. It is time we change the game.'

'While we tell children that 'anyone can make it as long as they work hard enough', we ignore the fact that if they happen to be working class or part of a marginalised ethnic or racial group, the barriers to success are getting ever higher and the 'hard work' required is becoming ever more unrealistic.'

'No matter how hard the pupils and teachers work, there will always be roughly thirty percent who will fail.'

'Yes Liz Truss is female, but what's to celebrate when her platform is to make the rich richer? Suella Braverman may be the child of immigrants, but she is committed to the immoral and inhumane policy of deporting those people claiming asylum.'

'Social mobility is a fairy tale. The politics of social mobility keep most of us in our place and do not give people the change of a happy and fulfilling life. That's not acceptable.'

'Social immobility got them where they are today- in power. Studies consistently find that societies with lower levels of social mobility have higher levels of corruption and this is as true for high-income countries like the UK and the USA as it is to low-income ones.'

'Social mobility relies not only on us buying into a myth that anyone can make it, and a narrow idea of success, it is also psychological - getting us to value ourselves and others on the basis of social hierarchy.'

'Finidng hope must be about disrupting the system and building one that offers a positive reality for all, not just the lucky few.'

'What gives people the chance for a good life is when the entire society and economy around them changes for the better.'

'In so many ways the simple truth is we are rich because they are poor; we are privileged because they suffer.'

'The idea that an individual just needs to be at the top of the food chain so they don't get eaten. Yet history tells us that we will only truly prosper if we prosper together. What if life wasn't shaped primarily by luck? What if we made sure that you live a good life wherever you are born and to whatever circumstances.'

'When so much of our press is concentrated in the hands of a few billionaires it undermines our democracy. An actual free and unbiased media would challenge the establishment, uncover corruption and inform the public. The manipulative power of the media is immense, so if you can hold those channels of public communication, and limit critical media, you help protect your power.'

'We need to demolish our deference to the elite classes if we are to see greater equality.'

'When racism is built into the system of opportunity there are hurdles erected at every junction of life.'

'Prejudice can live in all of us and because we are socialised in myths and stereotypes about 'others' from so early on in life, these shape our views, whether we like it or not.'

'Discrimination and undignified treatment may result in children internalising inequality, believing they are inherently less than others. Yes, we are programming our technology to be prejudiced, but that is only because we are ourselves programmed to be racist, misogynistic and classist.'

'It feels like people of colour are accepted at the top of politics only when they represent or uphold the same economic and political system that oppresses everyone else.'

'The elites aren't going to change a system that benefits them, unless we make them.'

[Kayleigh (BookwormEscapes) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* - AD/PR - To call this eye opening would be an understatement… I actually listened via audiobook (on Scribd right now) then went back and physically read the book which I’ve never done before!

In Know Your Place, Dr Faiza deconstructs the myth of social mobility with devastating accuracy. She is concise, clear and backs every argument up with statistics so that the points she makes are impossible to ignore and easy to understand. Our institutions and opportunities give an overwhelming advantage to the (inherited) wealthy British white man and for every part of you that doesn’t fit that mold the more the system is stacked against you. Coming from a working class background, I’ve personally felt a lot of what she talks about but never known how to define it. However, my privilege as a white woman has meant I’ve been more ignorant to the experiences of marginalised communities and I found this book incredibly informative and extremely but necessarily uncomfortable in that regard. The information around the lottery of birth struck a particularly chord with me and I was so angry and upset at the unfairness of it all and how the governments and media gloss over or actively hide the truth about inequality in order to benefit the elite. I absolutely LOVED our dm group discussions and I’m so grateful to the others for sharing their emotions and personal experiences!

I urge anyone and everyone to give this book a go! Educate yourself and start a conversation because we need real tangible change to balance the scales!

[Lauren pavey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeez ! Smack me over the head with the politics stick , I’m involved !!

Described by the publisher as part memoir, part polemic, Know Your Place is a personal and statistical look at how society and the economy are structured, what really defines your life chances and how our current system keeps us locked into an ugly hierarchy.
But more than that, it's a powerful call for collective fighting to reinvent things as we want them to be; it's about breaking out, finding hope and not staying in your place. We can change things, and this is how.

I’ve always voted but lately with the shape of things I have mentally drifted, I won’t lie, I slowly found myself thinking my vote wasn’t changing anything and besides from tutting at the state of things I had the attitude of the least I know the less frustrated and angry I’ll become .
Not anymore! This book has opened my eyes in so many ways. I’m not sure I can even list all the ways.

I must though firstly apologise to the amazing mr josh who has had to put up with me reading paragraph after paragraph to him. Info dumps are coming at everyone else very soon too, no one’s escaping this.
I feel like I have to spread the word and shake up everyone around me.

Although some of the information I already knew seeing all of the cold hard facts laid out is a sight to behold.

I did get a little frustrated at first with it seeming so purely pro labour but after the first couple of chapters it became much more about the root problems and the hope of change rather than political sides (as let’s face it all parties have had their share of issues to say the least).

Working poverty is unacceptable and a life with possibility’s should not be a lottery of birth.

This is a key piece of work that needs to be in every classroom and I certainly will be spreading the word as far as I can.

[Jay Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

A valuable statistical and sociological antidote against the myths of meritocracy and social mobility.

[Sarah Waldron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a copy of this book and to Tandem Collective for having me on the readalong.

I will admit that I'm not a huge non-fiction reader and I probably don't read enough of it. However when the right book crosses my path, I get very engrossed. This was an example of the right book. I could have read so much more from Dr Faiza Shaheen, I was quite disappointed when the book came to an end.

The way that she provided information, facts and statistics alongside her own life experiences made all of the points she wanted to make leap off the page. I related to a lot of what was discussed in this book which was both refreshing and upsetting.

This wasn't an easy read and there were moments I had to set the book aside to absorb the detail and collate my thoughts. However it was a necessary book to read and I couldn't recommend it enough.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book - it really changed my perspective on how UK society functions.

[Alan Cash · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those books where you agree with most of what the author is saying, but feels a bit unsatisfying somehow. I guess I was hoping for a little more on the statistics and data side of things beyond a smattering of percentages, and there were more mentions of Oxford than in a series of University Challenge. The final chapters were a lot of "we must" and "we need to", but all things that have been on any left-leaning manifesto for decades now. Also, its publication felt slightly badly timed: rightly criticising the inequality enhancing policies of the preceding Conservative governments, but during a time when the Labour party is cutting benefits even further for the poor and disabled. I wanted to like the book more than I did.

[Wendy Storey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good, but as I'm interested in the topic and had read similar before there wasn't much new in it for me. It's a shame it's so unsurprising how unfair the world is. It will also be incredibly difficult to really change anything.

[Luke Sheldrake · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.6

[Nish · Rating 4 out of 5]

You learn something new everyday, and I can say this is one of those books which will never stop giving. #KnowYourPlace by @faizashaheen is a revelation. At times, the facts and stats left me feeling morose, other times I was angry and then, just horrified.

The disparity in the UK and lack of social mobility and opportunity is not unknown but what is less publicly acknowledged is how rigged the system is; be it education, tax, policing, even health care, the lack of diversity and representation of the government and those in power directly impacts these factors. In fact, the book explores how deliberate attempts are made to pit members of the working class against each other i.e. White vs "others", preventing minorities/ethnic and/or women from progressing at work and the media encouraging prejudices. I was shocked to know BIPOC children are marked harshly/graded lower in school but statistics show they do well during independent examinations because the student is anonymised.

The last chapter includes recommendations on how we can create change for a better tomorrow. Definitely a book everyone needs to read and even within our group, we all had a different viewpoint and I learnt so much from these opinions and life experiences. It showed the importance of inclusivity, representation and communication . It is not an easy book to get through as it is a reality for many - I would encourage taking your time, going at your own pace when reading, maybe even picking it up as a buddy read.

[Neelam · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The myth of social mobility is a form of violence and class war - trapping people instead of setting them free.”

This was read as part of a @tandem readalong and I need you all to go read this phenomenal book!
This book is about how society and the economy are structured and “making it” and how we can collectively fight for a better society for all of us.

The book has a great balance between Faiza’s own experience and statistics that show just how unjust the society we live in is. And i loved seeing that combining of both aspects.
It is so engaging and well written and I related to a lot of the things discussed in the book. Things I also experienced and felt so it was also validating in a way.

This book is such a great resource for everyone who is already fighting for change or wants to know more. I also loved that Faiza not only pointed out the issues but also discussed ways in which we can make systemic change to build a better future for everyone in society.

It made me rage and scream as I read it and put so clearly into words so much of how I felt but couldn’t properly explain and it’s a book I will be thinking about for a long time.

I highly recommend everyone go read this book and we all join together to fight for a better world where everyone is valued as a member of society.

[Zahra Grieve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely must-read. I couldn’t put it down. Everyone should read this book.

[Luke Hatton · Rating 5 out of 5]

so good I read it twice

[Vee Howard-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A logical, calm voice in bonkers political Britain.

[Budge Burgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot of good content here but at times you have to search for it. It could have been better organised and, what is really annoying in a book about the myths of social mobility, Shaheen comes across as really full of herself - look at me, I come from a disadvantaged background but I went to Oxford and I've had a great job touring the world and my husband works in the film industry and I've stood for Parliament. I really don't care who she is, it's the political, sociological and economic arguments I wanted to read.
There's scarcely a mention of capitalism per se, no reference to the ideology of neoliberalism and its impact on Western politics over the last 50 years. Neoliberalism shaped the narratives and ideologies of 'the entrepreneur', elevating self-seeking men (usually) to celebrity status.
Shaheen doesn't highlight the role and function of celebrity culture as the unique selling point for the myth of upward mobility - a monotonous presentation of political leaders, princes, entrepreneurs, film stars and pop stars, etc., etc. as examples of the successful and 'you too could be one of them if you worked hard enough' ideology ... obfuscating the fact that if you come from an already wealthy family and live in the right place and go to the right schools your chances of upward mobility have just been fitted with a booster rocket or several.
Fiji and Pakistan get numerous mentions (family connections). Shaheen keeps referring to 'Britain' and 'British'. In England, the terms 'Britain' and 'England' are often presented as synonymous, whether in popular culture or in the explicitly political imagination. Yet Scots will identify as 'Scottish', will see the term 'British' as highly problematic. I get seriously pissed off when I have to record my ethnic identity as 'white British' - I look for an 'Other' option and, if allowed, write in 'Scots'.
People in Wales and Ireland will have similar difficulties. It's particularly galling for the Irish given that the whole of that island was part of 'Britain' from 1801-1922, and the Irish were therefore colonisers, carrying the 'British Empire' round the globe even as millions were dying or being forced to emigrate because of famine. Particularly galling if you're Welsh - it's instructive looking at the changing definition of a Celtic people described (in English translation) as 'Britons' during the post-Roman era - i.e., viewed as barbaric aliens by the Anglo-Saxon tribes invading and settling the south of the island, but then described as 'British' in the centuries after England emerged as an identifiable culture in the 14th-15th centuries.
'British' means colonised by England, politically controlled by England - or rather, by an English ruling elite who have striven for centuries to maintain control over the diverse peoples of England, never mind the Celtic fringe.
The mechanisms which condition people to being colonised, the use of hegemonies to shape identities and continue to colonise people are the same as the ones which lead the population of England and its colonies to believe that upward mobility is a dynamic force and one from which anyone can benefit. Hegemonies are colonising forces, politically aimed at shaping mindsets. Yet there is no exploration of the role of hegemonies, no dissection of politico-social psychology ... which I might have imagined was essential in a book like this.
I've deliberately injected a nationalist perspective into this review - Shaheen keeps referring to her Pakistani and Fijian roots and clearly regards these as significant in her forging of her own identity. Yet she doesn't see the term 'British' as problematic - or as a political hegemony shaping the visions and identities of generations across what is termed 'the UK'. Exploring this in conjunction with an explorationof the myths of upward mobility might have made a tad more explicit and obvious the mechanics of hegemonies in the shaping of political, cultural and individual identities ... and maybe pointed to the means to deconstruct the subjugating mindsets.

[Faye✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a copy of the book and to Tandem Collective for letting me be a part of the readalong!

Part memoir and part polemic, Dr Shaheen gives us an insight into the UK’s societal hierarchy. Shaheen’s life experiences added to the reading experience, making me feel connected to the statistics, rather than just being numbers on a page.

Social mobility is a topic I have always been interested in, especially at the beginning of my politics degree. However, as I was covering more topics this passion slipped away and with the current state of the country, it is something I wanted to bury my head in the sand and avoid.

This book made me realise how ignorant that was of me, and to check my privilege of being able to avoid that aspect of politics. It has opened my eyes to how ingrained society is to work hard in order to make it to the top, which has only been told to us by the rich, white men that largely inherited their wealth.

I have always been a firm believer in starting the conversation around race, social mobility, voting, etc to bring attention to it, even if people have differing views. These topics are something everyone should be having to raise awareness of the issues our society faces. While a conversation is not enough, it is the simple starting point for change.

A must-read for everyone!

[Andy Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot recommend this brilliant book too highly. Faiza Shaheen has written an incisive, forensic and highly readable account of how the system is rigged against working class people and their prospects and how society sets us up to fail. Part political analysis, part polemic and part personal account, Shaheen debunks established economic and political orthodoxies and makes the case for a different way of valuing people and their roles in our society. And what a case she makes. Shaheen argues persuasively that nothing less than the total transformation of our politics and economic outlook can challenge the unjust and systemic inequalities that are commonplace in Britain today. As a working class Asian woman who went to Oxford, Shaheen is well placed to write this revealing analysis. As Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for her hometown seat of Chingford and Woodford Green, where she will face the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith at the next general election, she is also ideally placed to put her ideas into action should she win the seat. I for one hope she does. We need more Faizas in our politics and in parliament!

[Steve Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb and passionate piece of writing. I hope that the author wins well at the next UK general election in seat and becomes an MP in the next UK parliament. Perhaps, maybe we shall then see some proper politics happen once again.

The diagnosis of the many problems the UK faces are here. Still, however, Brexit is shied away from a little and its profound impact on social mobility and confronting the neoliberal economic hoax is not covered ina way that gives mne heart. Otherwise spot-on. The recommendations for a way forward including dealing with housing, wage inequality, wealth tax and the like are excellent. I admire the focus too onm early-years education; I would add lifelong learning to that.

I just wish I would hear more (some?) progressive politicians embrace the well understood and rigorously logical thoughts of modern monetary theory. I hope that this author becomes a loud advocate of this as it underpins much of the remedial action that this author proposes and I support.

[Rahim Chitalya · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a child of immigrants who experienced their fair share of racism growing up in North London, I’d like to think I bring some perspective to this topic. While the book touches on important issues—particularly around inequality, which remains a serious challenge in the UK—I found much of its analysis biased and disappointingly one-sided.

Too often, it leans heavily on negative statistics and draws questionable correlations between policy, inequality, and outcomes, while failing to engage with more balanced or countervailing evidence. It overlooks the many immigrants who have succeeded, and the relative openness of British society compared to many other nations.

Yes, inequality is real—and successive governments have struggled to address it effectively—but a more thoughtful, nuanced approach would have made for a far stronger and fairer argument.

[David Kirlew-Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great shame that Faiza Shaheen didn't get elected in 2024. It's also a shame that she wasn't allowed to run as a Labour candidate. The fact that there was barely any difference between her vote total as an independent and that of Labour shows just how highly regarded she is in her constituency.

Dr Shaheen's book shows just how talented and knowledgeable she is on the subjects that matter - subjects which should be important to Labour - and any other party for that matter.

Know Your Place is full of statistics and facts about poverty and inequality. It contains powerful arguments for real change and not a change so slow that it's glacial.

You also get plenty of insight into her background, which helped make her the person she is today.

You may not be left leaning. You may not be a Labour voter. However, I really do recommend that you get this book.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!
If you use words like “Snowflakes” and “triggered” this book is simply not for you as it will trigger you.

Simply the book is overflowing with facts and statistics and the arguments are followed through to the conclusion.

The book does what it sets out to do:
- Make you uncomfortable
- Make you think
- Make you want to do something.

[Iain Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could as easily be titled 'The Politics of Envy'. A book that begins by quoting 'fuck Boris'; which berates opponents for being too rich (what should they do? Give it all away?); by an author whose arguments are riddled with non sequiturs and unsupported sweeping statements (Oxford economists are 'for the rich'? Really? All of them?).

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So it's an excellent book, well researched and thoroughly backed up. It's not the fault of the author that recent British politics are so cruel and depressing, nor that reading a whole book about how cruel and depressing they are is something best tackled in small doses, well spaced out...

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Future cabinet minister outlines the entrenchment of wealth and tells us to come together to defeat it. Great mix of memoir and polemic, and she wears her lefty credentials as lightly as possible(!). She may be the exception, but she is exceptional!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book. It challenges many of the notions on race and class in Britain.

My only gripe was how difficult it was to read. Lots of numbers and explanations of trends that easily could’ve been graphs.

The funny tweets were an oasis in a desert of cold hard facts and racism.

[Camilo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading for anyone who went to private school or who believes in the myth of social mobility.
A comprehensive demolition of one the most pernicious myths in modern society: that social mobility (a) meaningfully exists and (b) is a good thing.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that it was a brilliant read which challenged some of my pre-conceptions and also gave me some ideas on structural changes which need to happen for significant change to occur

[Cati · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 no cap

[Isaac Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down to earth and conversational expose on the lack social mobility, from someone in the trenches fighting for fairer future. Politcally savvy yet colourful.

[Magnus Rygge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Litt preachy, men viktig, og burde vært lest av alle som tilhører en eller annen form for høyreside.